yWhales is a community of experienced and influential business leaders from around the world who build, advise, and invest in Web3 technology. The ecosystem comprises four divisions including Communities, Solutions, Ventures, and Labs.
Together, they share a passion for blockchain technology and believe in the potential of Web3 to shape how we all live, work, and play together.
With a powerful community, yWhales onboards companies to Web3. But as a fast-growing startup, they faced a common challenge – the need to align their team and purpose with their goals.
The brand lacked coherence and didn’t accurately reflect their ambitious vision – to onboard Fortune 1000 companies into Web3. The team needed the following:
Clarity and a clear path forward in the complex and fast-paced space that is Web3
A brand identity that communicates their seriousness in Web3 and showcases their potential for success and growth in the space as influential and global business connoisseurs
To establish the brand as a trusted, verified, and progressive business utilising blockchain technology for long-term value
In collaboration with the yWhales team, we set out to:
Define their purpose and positioning
Refine their whale symbol as an icon of trust, experience, and deep knowledge in the Web3 business arena
Build a cohesive and sophisticated visual language representative of the yWhales ecosystem
“We want to be a trusted source that everyone looks up to when shaping their business”
— Mia
“It’s not about size, but influencing and moving the market”
— Sue
“We drew inspiration from the largest ecosystem on the planet and the place where whales live, the ocean.”
— Will
“I'm pretty convinced that this is the most powerful and influential community in Web3”
— Jason
Strategy
Through a series of interviews and workshops, we worked with the yWhales team to outline their intentions and establish a brand purpose that would propel their business forward. We learned that yWhales had an unrivaled community of successful business leaders – from CEOs and executives to consultants with experience across industries worldwide.
They shared a collective vision for shaping the future of Web3, and ultimately, using the untapped potential of blockchain technology to improve the human experience.
The team believed in nurturing their ecosystem. And to do this, they were determined to add real value and share their expertise with businesses who were new to this complex space. We also understood that all community members are KYCD, and work with an ethos of trust – but trust that is verified.
After communicating with each team member, aligning their messaging and values, and fully immersing ourselves in the yWhales world – we captured a positioning line that would reflect this.
First as a business building and investing in Web3, and secondly, as an influential community with deep knowledge and experience. We landed on their positioning line – “shaping the business of Web3”.
With this knowledge, our design team could begin building the yWhales brand identity and language.
Design
The yWhales team was clear in that they wanted to maintain the whale as their brand symbol. With this in mind, the whale became the foundation of our thinking.
Inspired by yWhales self-described “ecosystem”, we explored the largest ecosystem on the planet – the ocean. As a result, the whale icon and much of the visual language capture the movement inspired by both the waves and the grace of a whale as it glides through open waters.
Conceptually, it was also important that we went beyond the theme of the whale to rather encompass the ocean as a whole. This gave us a lot more to work with in terms of our messaging and imagery. It also resonated well with the yWhales purpose and their vision for bettering the human experience.
For example, we created an unconventional system that allows the elements to be separated (the whale icon swims away from the wordmark) to emphasize the icon's graceful movement. Then, the type, Clash Display's wide geometry further compliments the momentum and movement of the icon, positioned to the top right for emphasis.
To contrast this flowing linework, we added hard-edged geometry at the end of each line, creating visual tension that references both the technology that powers the yWhales community and the journey from Web2 to Web3.
Finally, the photographic language we chose is clean and moody, creating an expansive feeling reminiscent of the ocean. And beyond this, we incorporated lots of negative space to highlight a permanent feeling of expanse.
Impact
The result is a distinctive purpose and positioning line; “shaping the business of Web3”, a cohesive and sophisticated visual language representative of the yWhales ecosystem, and a brand that reflects the potential of Web3 technology.
By defining their purpose and simplifying their messaging, yWhales has a solid foundation from which to grow, both unifying the team and ensuring all brand communications are aligned, which can significantly impact how the company is perceived moving forward – as a cohesive and influential entity.
Credit
Creative Director: Shannon Davis
Designer: William Rech and Liam McAlpine
Strategist: Jason Tuohy
Animation: David Hillier
Project Manager: Robyn Miguel